Up to 10,000 face relocation in Timor Leste for Airport expansion

(May 23, 2013) The Timor Leste government’s plan to expand a major airport in Dili might sound good for the development of the new nation preparing for membership of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations - ASEAN, but relocation looms for thousands of villagers. Over 10,000 people living in four villages located close to the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport may be moved to make way for the project.
Work is scheduled to begin in July and finish in 2015. Upon completion the runway will be nearly doubled in length. The airport currently serves only 120-seat airplanes with three routes, from Dili to Darwin in Australia, Denpasar in Indonesia, and Singapore. The extension is aimed at making the airport fit for larger international carriers. ASEAN membership which Timor Leste requested in 2011, is one of the driving forces behind the expansion, given the importance of sound infrastructure and development agendas for the regional bloc.
Source: Ucan